Posted on 09/16/2015 6:57:27 PM PDT by hiho hiho
Cathedrals are worried that planned new laws banning so-called legal highs could make it a crime to use incense in services.
And they are lobbying the Government to change the legislation to ensure priests and can use incense without risk of arrest.
The plea has come from the Association of English Cathedrals, which represents cathedrals across the country including Durham and Newcastle.
In a statement to the Commons Home Affairs Committee, which is examining the planned legislation, the association highlighted historic Durham Cathedral as one of those that could be affected.
The Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service also asked MPs to change the legislation, and warned that Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches would also be affected as well as Church of England churches and cathedrals.
The Government’s Psychoactive Substances Bill is designed to end the sale of so-called legal highs which are widely available and in some cases have similar effects to illegal drugs.
They are hard to control under existing legislation because if a substance is banned it is possible to create a new substance with a different composition but similar effects, to be sold in its place.
The legislation, announced in the Queen’s Speech following May’s general election, will make it an offence to produce, supply, import or export any substance intended for human consumption that is capable of producing a psychoactive effect. The maximum sentence will be seven years’ imprisonment.
However there are fears that incense commonly used in religious services may fall under the provisions of the Bill.
A study by John Hopkins University in Baltimore and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, published in 2008, said burning frankincense activates ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression.
While the Government does not intend to make burning incense an offence, the fear is that it may be included in the legislation inadvertently, partly because it is hard to define exactly what the phrase psychoactive substance refers to.
In a letter to the Home Affairs Committee, the Association of English Cathedrals warned: “We wish to express our concern that the term ‘psychoactive substances’ in the Psychoactive Substances Bill can be interpreted so broadly that it risks criminalising the use of incense in cathedrals, churches and other places of worship as, we assume, an unintended consequence of the Bill’s drafting.”
It told MPs it represents the 42 Anglican cathedrals in England and as well as Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
“The cathedrals range from those of international importance (such as St Paul’s Cathedral) and those in World Heritage Sites (Canterbury and Durham Cathedrals) to less well known cathedrals such as Blackburn, Bradford and Sheffield.”
And it said: “Cathedrals regularly make use of incense during worship services, especially celebrations of the Eucharist. Incense has been used for worship purposes for millennia, and by the Christian church since its foundation.
“Incense has an important symbolic role; the smoke represents the presence of God, prayers rising to God, and the offering of gifts and lives as a sacrifice to God.
“Incense is used to enhance the worship experience, and no longer being able to use it would have an adverse impact on the conduct of worship.”
In its own submission to the inquiry, the Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service. said: “A problem remains for the Churches that use incense in their worship (and, for that matter, for other religious communities such as Hindus and Buddhists): that under the Bill as currently drafted it would be of doubtful legality.”
It urged the Government to add “a specific exemption for the use of incense in places of worship” into the legislation.
Speaking to the Committee, Police Minister Mike Penning said the Government would continue to work on the Bill to address concerns.
He said: “We will, I am absolutely confident, have a bill which does what we want to do which is save lives and protect people from what they think is a safe legal product.”
But he added: “There is a lot of work we need to do to ensure this Bill does exactly what we want it to do.”
(Well, they can't all be brilliant.)
If the incense smoke is too thick, they can just open the windows.
Of course, this could be a problem during the winter months, as many will be cold.
But few will be frozen.
:o)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.